Pascagoula School District plans to close Tuesday, Wednesday; neighboring districts following suit

View full sizeSuperintendent Wayne Rodolfich speaks to the board during a special called meeting this afternoon to make plans in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac. (Kaija Wilkinson/The Press-Register)

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Pascagoula School District will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday to allow the district, employees, students and their families to prepare for possible effects of Tropical Storm Isaac.

The board of trustees this afternoon approved Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich's recommendation during a special called board meeting at the district's central office.

Rodolfich told the board he conferred with both fellow superintendents and Gov. Phil Bryant earlier today, and that Pascagoula's plans are in line with what other districts are doing.

"It is consistent with what every district in Jackson and Harrison counties," Rodolfich said. "This is the type of situation where we need to go ahead and make a call -- we can't be doing this at 3 a.m."

Effects from Isaac could start being felt as early as midday tomorrow.

Whether or not school will reopen Thursday is "up in the air," according to district spokeswoman Debbie Anglin. "It just depends on if and how long the bad weather hangs over us," she said.

Letters are going home with students today to inform families of the closures.

In addition to the Tuesday and Wednesday closure, the board approved Rodolfich's request to declare a state of emergency, which will help facilitate the availability of emergency state and federal funds should they be needed.

The board also agreed to deposit the monthly paychecks of the district's 1,300 employees on Tuesday, three days early, to allow them to purchase storm supplies if needed. "By tomorrow morning their checks will be deposited," Anglin said.

Pascagoula School District preparations today included taking digital photographs of "every single part" of each school for insurance purposes, shoring up vulnerable properties such as Beach Elementary with sandbags, releasing the keys to Gautier High School to the Gautier Police Department should the police need a place to operate from, and moving buses from a yard in Pascagoula to higher ground in Gautier.

Board member Sonny Backs thanked the superintendent and his staff for their forward thinking to protect facilities, equipment, and most importantly -- lives.

Referring to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Rodolfich said: "There is nothing like experience to prepare you for these types of things. We believe we are better prepared this time around."

School districts that plan to be closed Tuesday and Wednesday include: Jackson County, Moss Point, Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, Harrison County, George County and Greene County.